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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems and methods for analyzing emotions and promoting healthy emotional habits. The invention is applicable within the fields of emotional intelligence and/or health promotion and disease prevention.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, there are two views of medicine and healthcare, an allopathic approach, and a holistic approach. Allopathic is a term applied to a system of therapeutics in which diseases are treated by producing a condition incompatible with or antagonistic to the condition to be cured or alleviated. Typically, an allopathic system focuses on the identification and cure of disease.
The allopathic approach is generally associated with Western philosophy and approaches medicine with a mechanistic approach based on a reductionist model rooted in scientifically based empirical data. This approach currently dominates the attitudes of physicians toward health and illness. Thus, allopathic medicine, as it is researched and practiced today, is deeply rooted in critical scrutiny and every theory, treatment, and medicine, is rigorously tested, evaluated, and scrutinized, before it is accepted as legitimate.
Although some aspects of the allopathic approach can be traced to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, the allopathic (or biomedical) model began in Europe with the Scientific Revolution of the 1500""s. This approach emphasizes the study of the sciences as a basis for medical training. Therefore, the allopathic model seeks to understand something or predict an outcome through questions that are asked about a subject.
Based on this widely accepted philosophical view, western medicine considers the mind and the body to be separate and fundamentally different. Thus, the allopathic model leads to an ultimate separation of the mind from the body. Furthermore, allopathic medical treatment attempts to construct a completely scientific description of nature in which there is absolute certainty. In this manner, the allopathic model attempts to predict and control diseases.
Allopathic medicine tends to view the human body as a machine that is capable of being analyzed and understood in terms of the arrangement and functioning of its parts. Diseases are viewed as a malfunctioning, on a cellular or molecular level, of the biological mechanisms that enable the machine to operate. Thus, a doctor""s role is to intervene, either physically or chemically, to correct the malfunctioning of a specific mechanism. In essence, an unhealthy person is likened to a well-made clock whose parts were not functioning properly.
The reductionist model states that a complex phenomena can be understood by reducing the phenomena to its basic building blocks and identifying the mechanisms with which the phenomena interacts. In allopathic medicine, the basic building blocks include organs, tissues, cells, Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), etc.
Empiricism is the principle that the practice of medicine is based upon practical experience rather than theory. The empirical method is used when scientists make experiments and draw conclusions from data collected from the experiments. In allopathic medicine, the empirical method is used to test and research, for example, pharmaceutical products, treatments, procedures, and DNA, in hopes of providing proof or verification by means of observation or experiment.
The use of the above-described allopathic model has produced dramatic improvements in areas such as nutrition, hygiene, treatment of environmental and infectious diseases, and trauma management. For example, the acute infectious diseases that plagued Europe and North America in the nineteenth century and that are still the major killers in the Third World today have been replaced in the industrialized countries by illnesses that are no longer associated with poverty and deficient living conditions.
However, the current diseases of industrialized countries are diseases of affluence, which are primarily chronic and degenerative diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. These diseases are caused by (or closely associated with) lifestyle and behavior problems such as stressful lifestyles, rich diets, drug abuse, sedentary living, and the environmental pollution that is characteristic of modern life.
Although the allopathic model has been extremely successful in certain realms, it nevertheless has severe limitations. For example, the allopathic model fails to consider certain behavioral, mental, and spiritual aspects of disease and illness.
Thus, the second predominant view of medicine and healthcare is the holistic approach. Holistic is a term applied to a system of therapeutics that emphasizes the organic or functional relation between parts and the whole. Typically, a holistic system assumes that a person constitutes a single biological, psychological, and social unity that includes physical, nutritional, mental, emotional environmental, social, spiritual, and lifestyle aspects. Thus, diseases can be effectively treated only when the interrelationship between the mind, the body, and the spirit are considered.
The holistic model includes a number of factors, such as, for example, dealing with the root cause of an illness, increasing patient involvement in the treatment process, and viewing patients as wholly integrated systems of mind, body and spirit.
The holistic model has come to include natural healing, alternative medicine, and complementary medicine. Natural healing usually refers to the use of physical healing techniques that are not accepted by allopathic medical practitioners to cure disease and/or illness.
When these holistic principles are applied by a healthcare practitioner, it is usually called holistic medicine. Holistic healthcare practitioners attempt to use a person""s symptom(s) as a guide to find a root cause of a disease or illness. Then, a form of treatment is selected that utilizes and complements the person""s natural healing system.
Often, holistic medicine is called alternative medicine. The term alternative medicine generally refers to techniques that are not accepted by allopathic medical practitioners. These techniques include, for example, non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical techniques, such as medical herbalism, acupuncture, chiropractic therapy, massage therapy, naturopathy, homeopathy, Reiki, and the like. The precise definition of alternative medicine is constantly changing as new techniques are developed or accepted by allopathic medical practitioners. Alternative medicine is most often associated with specific techniques that encourage healing and not with techniques for adjusting the person""s lifestyle habits.
The term complementary medicine (or xe2x80x9cwholisticxe2x80x9d medicine) is often used by allopathic medical practitioners to describe the use of alternative medical techniques in conjunction with allopathic medical treatments. Typically, in complementary medicine, the alternative medical techniques are used to supplement the primary allopathic medical treatments. Complementary medicine often proposes that properly chosen holistic healing techniques can heal both acute and chronic illnesses.
Since the 1970""s, healthcare consumers have become increasingly dissatisfied with the allopathic, scientifically based, medical system. Healthcare consumers have become increasingly dissatisfied with the rising cost of allopathic medicine, the lack of availability of healthcare providers, and our xe2x80x9chigh techxe2x80x9d approach to healing. Furthermore, because healthcare consumers are no longer preoccupied with survival needs and acute infections, they desire a higher quality of life and treatment for chronic illness. Thus, healthcare consumers are seeking services that are health and wellness focused rather than disease treatment based.
As a result, we are currently experiencing a sociologic shift of paradigm in healthcare. Many healthcare consumers are, either consciously or unconsciously, searching for a form of medicine that honors the mind (the cognitive functions that mediate limbic activity and physiologic or action responses), the body (the endocrine, neurologic, immune, and cognitive processing systems), and the spirit (that which lies beyond the senses). People are demanding a change in healthcare services because they desire services that respect their mind, body, and spirit.
Healthcare consumers are beginning to accept personal responsibility for their health, are becoming increasingly more aware of research in alternative therapies, and are utilizing these therapies in a self-directed manner. Healthcare consumers are seeking more effective and affordable remedies for ailments, natural untainted foods, and more sensitive, respectful healthcare practitioners.
Various systems and/or methods have been developed that allow users to access allopathic medical diagnosis advice via a computerized network. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,060 to Iliff discloses a system and method for providing computerized, knowledge-based medical diagnostic advice. The Iliff system provides medical advice over a network or a stand-alone mode of a computer. To diagnose a health problem of a patient, medical knowledge is organized into a list of the diseases to be considered. Each disease on the disease list includes a list of symptoms that is checked in a patient. Each symptom on the symptom list is then further described as a response to a list of one or more questions asked of the patient about the symptom. When a patient requires diagnosis, the responses of the patient are analyzed and converted into symptoms, the symptoms are accumulated into diseases, and the diseases are selected and reported as a diagnosis.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,866 to McLeod discloses a method of facilitating diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder in a patient. The McLeod method provides the patient with one or more questions relating to symptoms of one or more psychiatric disorders, records the patient""s answers to the question(s), and establishes a preliminary disorder indication based on the answers provided by the patient.
Several systems and/or methods have been developed in an effort to combine the predictability and reproducibility of the allopathic, scientifically based, medical model with the total wellness focus of the holistic model. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,839 to Herscu discloses a system and method for assisting a homeopathic healthcare provider in the diagnosis and selection of treatments for a patient. The Herseu system includes a computer that stores information related to symptoms and remedies for the symptoms. As the homeopath enters symptoms, a program groups the symptoms into segments and uses the segments to select remedies for the symptoms from stored information.
In recent years, scientific studies have emerged to support the prospect that negative emotions have a detrimental effect on physical as well as mental health. Although known systems and methods attempt to combine the predictability and reproducibility of the allopathic, scientifically-based, medical model with the total wellness focus of the holistic model, the known systems and methods fail to adequately address the interrelation between the mind, the body, and the spirit. While current healthcare systems focus primarily on disease treatment, acute interventions, and curative medical techniques, they overlook a primary component of health and wellbeing which is xe2x80x9chow a person feels emotionallyxe2x80x9d.
For example, known systems and methods fail to account for the impact of emotions, particularly negative emotions, on the mind, the body, and the spirit. Currently, allopathic healthcare providers refer patients to psychiatry, social services, or clergy, to address psychosocial or spiritual matters. Although these services are helpful, they do not fulfill the patient""s request for treatments that are not only health and wellness focused, but also address, respect, and balance the patient""s mind, body, and spirit as an integrated whole.
Even among healthcare systems with theoretical frameworks for describing the need for balance to achieve mind, body, and spirit health, spiritual health is not fully described. Furthermore, known methods fail to provide healthcare providers or patients with the proper tools to adequately analyze, correctly diagnose, and ultimately provide an antidote for negative emotions.
Thus, known treatments fail to adequately address the view that emotions are the part of the human being that serve as the connection between the mind, the body, and the spirit. One of the most frustrating experiences in life is for a person to have worked to gain insight into xe2x80x98what I am feelingxe2x80x99 and xe2x80x98why I feel the way I doxe2x80x99 but continue to be unable to discover what he/she xe2x80x98needs to doxe2x80x99 to resolve the unpleasant feelings.
Thus, there appears to be a linear relationship between the mind, which is the interpreter of life, the body, which is the manifestation of life, the spirit, which is the source of life, and the emotions, which are the mechanism that connects the mind, the body, and the spirit. Furthermore, emotional health is a dynamic state because positive emotions and negative emotions exist on a spectrum. The more positive and the fewer negative emotions a person experiences, the higher level of physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health the person possesses.
Additionally, overuse of the human survival mechanism called the xe2x80x9cfight or flight responsexe2x80x9d is the source of poor physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. However, because human beings possess the capacity to cognitively override the xe2x80x9cfight or flightxe2x80x9d response, addressing overuse of the xe2x80x9cfight or flightxe2x80x9d response improves physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health.
Attaining improved physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health is an individual responsibility that requires the cognitive processing of unhealthy emotions. Unfortunately, one must first be able to isolate and identify the unhealthy emotions before they can be cognitively processed.
Once the unhealthy emotions are isolated and identified, they can be correlated to deficient spiritual needs in the person""s life. Deficient or unmet spiritual needs ultimately lead to low levels of physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. Therefore, having a high number of satisfied spiritual needs ultimately leads to higher levels of physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health.
Fortunately, virtuous behaviors are antidotes to unmet spiritual needs and becoming aware of the proper virtuous behaviors to cultivate as a xe2x80x9ctreatmentxe2x80x9d against deficient spiritual needs serves to assist in the cognitive processes necessary to attain higher levels of physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health.
Accordingly, this invention provides systems and methods that provide health services that honor a patient""s mind, body, and spirit. The systems and methods of this invention help to define physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health in the absence of physical illness and assist a user in developing a balanced, wholistic (mind, body, and spirit), view of health and healing through the cognitive processing of negative emotions.
The various systems and methods of this invention assist an individual""s cognitive processes to foster greater emotional and spiritual health by identifying negative emotion(s) and filling associated spiritual needs resulting in a decreased experience of negative emotion and an improvement of both emotional and spiritual health. Thus, the presentation of a negative emotion is likened to a symptom, a spiritual need is likened to a diagnosis, and an antidote (virtuous behaviors) is likened to a treatment.
It should be understood that the philosophy embodied in the systems and methods of this invention was developed using principles found in psychology, physiology of emotions, and world religions. As described in this invention, the relationships between these principles are defined as xe2x80x9cThe Spiritual Needs Theoryxe2x80x9d. The Spiritual Needs Theory is built upon four main principles. These principles are 1) emotions are the key element in mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health, 2) definitions for emotional and spiritual health are depicted as spectrums, 3) negative emotions are the symptoms of unmet spiritual needs, and 4) all individuals are personally responsible to identify and to meet their own needs.
Emotions are the part of the human being that serve as the connection between the mind, the body, and the spirit. Emotions are the measuring stick for mental and/or emotional health, like a flag that leads to the identification of unmet needs. Theories in neurophysiology explain the role that emotions play in the connection between the mind and the body. It is thought that emotions originate in the limbic system of the brain and impact the body through the endocrine system (glands and hormones), the neurologic system (the body""s electrical system), the immune system (the body""s system for fighting disease), and the cognitive processing system (the system that determines the actions that one takes).
Physiologists have determined that the hypothalamus is required for outward expression of emotion, particularly the visceral components (the experience of feeling emotion in the body) and that cortex involvement is necessary for directed emotional expression (such as an attack on an object).
The emerging field of psychophysiology has produced a number of quality studies that measure the physiologic impact of emotions on the body. Currently, experiments are being conducted on techniques such as biofeedback which are tools used to cognitively control the impact of one""s emotions on the body.
Thus, the human being is a xe2x80x9cwholexe2x80x9d and the mind, the body, and the spirit are not reduced elements, but act and interact as a single, integrated system. Therefore, just as emotions are the connection between the mind and the body, emotions are also the connection between the mind and the spirit. As a result, mind, body, and spirit balance, and consequently health, is connected, regulated, and controlled by emotions.
A person""s expression of emotions, such as, for example, rage or pleasure, is controlled by the body""s limbic system. The limbic system is composed of the hypothalamus, the thalamus, the anagdala, and several fiber tracts connecting these areas. Scientific studies have shown that stimulation of the amygdala produces aggressive responses, while destruction of the amygdala causes, for example, violent animals to exhibit hyper-sexuality and no fear of objects that formerly produced fear. Thus, physiologists believe that the amygdala contains the xe2x80x9cfight or flightxe2x80x9d response. The xe2x80x9cfight or flightxe2x80x9d response is the function of the sympathetic nervous system that is responsible for mobilizing the body in times of stress. A xe2x80x9cfightxe2x80x9d response is typically characterized by reactions that are power seeking, wanting, and selfishness; while a xe2x80x9cflightxe2x80x9d response is typically characterized by reactions that include the giving up of power, passiveness, and victimization.
Negative emotional reactions (emotional responses that stem from the xe2x80x9cfight or flightxe2x80x9d response) are dictated by habits in a person""s personality and have movement like the swing of an unstable pendulum. Thus, in a moment one""s emotions can xe2x80x9cswingxe2x80x9d from a xe2x80x9cfightxe2x80x9d response to a xe2x80x9cflightxe2x80x9d response and back again.
All human emotions fall within a spectrum that ranges from all experiences manifesting positive, healthy emotions, such as, for example, love, happiness, bliss, relief, rapture, satisfaction, peaceful, and the like (identified as a state of xe2x80x9cnon-dualityxe2x80x9d) to all experiences manifesting negative, unhealthy emotions, such as, for example, fear, anxiety, humiliation, guilt, shame, depression, apprehension, terror, helplessness, anger, outrage, resentment, exasperation, wanting, indignation, and the like (identified by a xe2x80x9cfightxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cflightxe2x80x9d response).
It should be understood that the term non-duality refers to perceptions and feeling of connectedness and unity that occurs in the absence of fear and separation. Non-duality is not the experience of me vs. you, but the experience of us. The systems and methods of this invention realize that the more positive emotions a person experiences and the fewer negative emotions a person experiences, the greater emotional health that person possesses.
Maslow""s needs theory states that individuals have a basic level of physiologic needs that must be met to ensure survival and the higher level of needs that must be met to ensure happiness and satisfaction with life. Thus, in keeping with Maslow""s xe2x80x9cHierarchy of Needsxe2x80x9d, an individual""s emotions and responses are based on need driven behavior. Negative emotions are a result of need driven behavior and stem from unmet or deficient spiritual needs. Not only must these spiritual needs be met to ensure happiness and satisfaction with life, these spiritual needs, which are manifest as negative emotion(s), must be met to ensure survival.
Although negative emotions may not have an immediate impact on survival, negative emotions have long-term consequences on health through the mind/body connection (endocrine, neurologic, immune, and cognitive systems). Furthermore, the cognitive processing of negative emotions leads to behavioral survival risks such as violence, war, or suicide.
As shown in FIG. 1, the systems and methods of this invention identify two general categories of negative emotions. The first general category includes negative emotions rooted in a desire to seek power (the xe2x80x9cfightxe2x80x9d response of the physiologic xe2x80x9cfight or flight responsexe2x80x9d mechanism). The second general category includes negative emotions rooted in the desire to xe2x80x9cvent offxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cbe rid ofxe2x80x9d power for self-preservation (the xe2x80x9cflightxe2x80x9d responses of the physiologic xe2x80x9cfight or flight responsexe2x80x9d mechanism). These two general categories are further broken down into fourteen subcategories of negative emotions that correlate directly to seven spiritual needs. Within the subcategories of negative emotions there are seven subcategories of emotions that are rooted in a desire to seek power and seven subcategories of emotions that are rooted in a desire to xe2x80x9cvent offxe2x80x9d power. The power-seeking negative emotions are grouped into the following subcategories; pride, extreme desire, anger/frustration/lashing out, extreme need for pleasure, unwillingness to accept responsibility, complaining, and envy/jealousy/resentment. The xe2x80x9cventing offxe2x80x9d negative emotions are grouped into the following subcategories; lonely, guilt/shame, hurt feelings/loss, blue/down, hopeless/helpless/victimized, dissatisfied/worthless, and anxiousness/worry/stress.
The systems and methods of this invention utilize seven basic needs as a xe2x80x9cdiagnosisxe2x80x9d for negative emotions. These seven basic needs are termed xe2x80x9cspiritual needsxe2x80x9d because they are human needs that have been synthesized from of ideas and commonalities among the six major religions of the world and are beyond a person""s needs for immediate physical survival. As shown in FIG. 1, the seven spiritual needs include community, honor, love, joy, life lessons, life work, and faith.
The spiritual need for community is a need for people in each person""s life to provide love and support. The spiritual need for community is the need to have reciprocal relationships in which one is provided, and provides love and support for those in his/her community. Support is being able to turn to someone for physical, emotional, and/or spiritual assistance when it is needed. Physical support is, for example, having someone who is willing to help with physical problems or setbacks. Emotional support is having someone who is willing to help you process through what you are feeling. Spiritual support is having someone who will understand, respect and support your spiritual beliefs and is available to discuss and process spiritual issues.
Generally, a community is perceived as a neighborhood, ethnic group, or religious affiliation. Community in the context of spiritual needs may include, for example, family or cultural ties, individuals such as friends, coworkers, neighbors, and the like. Ultimately, a community consists of any number of people who recognize your goodness and lovingly offer direction and support in a trusting, reciprocal relationship that provides a mutual experience of love and support.
The spiritual need for honor is the need to feel honorable and express honorable behavior towards others. The feeling that comes with having met one""s need for honor is a feeling of being respected, held with esteem, and treated with dignity. The expression of the spiritual need for honor is to have noble intentions and be respectful towards others. Having an attitude of noble intentions is done without obligation and conveys a feeling of alliance and respect. Being respectful towards others is manifested through moral behavior.
Love is most frequently thought of as an emotion. Love is an interesting phenomenon in that if you have ever experienced love, it needs no definition. If you have not experienced love, it cannot be defined. The spiritual need for love is the need to both give and receive love. The feeling that comes from being loved is characterized by the receiving of affection, caring, concern, and being treated with warmth and kindness. Giving of one""s love is characterized by the giving of your attention, affection, caring, concern, and warm responses.
The spiritual need for joy is the need to feel buoyant emotions, light heartedness, excitement, delight, playfulness, or simply having fun in your life. The spiritual need for joy is about balancing the serious or difficult aspects of life with lighthearted experiences in life. Joy may well be the one experience human beings want the most and find most illusive. Some of us deny ourselves the joy we need out of guilt, work ethic, lack of time, or merely not having the frame of mind required to recognize and engage in joyful experiences. Others seek transient pleasures that provide short-term feelings of pleasure but require a constant renewal of pleasurable experiences to maintain. Joy requires a shift in perception that results from learning how to xe2x80x9clive in the momentxe2x80x9d. The result of fulfilling your need for joy is the experience of happiness.
The spiritual need for life lessons is a point of view that sees difficulties in one""s life as an opportunity to learn, grow, mature, evolve, improve, or heal. An appropriate perception of life lessons requires a view that difficulties are a normal part of life and difficult experiences provide an opportunity to learn and grow. The result of developing the proper attitude is a greater experience of the positive emotion of hope.
The spiritual need for life work is each person""s need to use his/her gifts and talents. When using gifts and talents, you will experience the feeling that you have made an important contribution, that you are needed, wanted, valued, and appreciated. The result of using you gifts and talents is a feeling of satisfaction and meaning in life.
The spiritual need for faith is the need to trust in the Divine (trust in God). This trust manifests itself in the attitude (or belief) that; xe2x80x98God has a greater planxe2x80x99. We may not be able to see or understand why something is happening but we have faith that there is a Divine reason for everything. The result of having faith in the Divine is a feeling of peace.
As further shown in FIG. 1, each of the fourteen negative emotions described above corresponds to one of the seven spiritual needs. It should be understood that each of the seven spiritual needs actually corresponds to one of the negative emotions that is rooted in a desire to xe2x80x9cvent offxe2x80x9d power, and one of the negative emotions that is rooted in a desire to seek power.
Thus, for example, if an individual is experiencing the negative emotion of loneliness or pride, the corresponding spiritual need is community. If the individual is experiencing the negative emotion of guilt or extreme desire, the corresponding spiritual need is honor. If the individual is experiencing feelings of loss or anger, the corresponding spiritual need is love. If the he or she is feeling down or feels an extreme need for pleasure, the corresponding spiritual need is joy. If the individual is experiencing the negative emotion of hopelessness or an unwillingness to accept responsibility, the corresponding spiritual need is life lessons. If the individual is experiencing the negative emotion of dissatisfaction or is complaining, the corresponding spiritual need is life work. Finally, if the individual is experiencing the negative emotion of anxiety or envy, the corresponding spiritual need is faith.
Finally, the systems and methods of this invention utilize virtuous behaviors, as shown in FIG. 1, as antidotes, or more specifically, xe2x80x9cemotional antidotesxe2x80x9d, for the identified spiritual needs, and ultimately the negative emotions. The antidotes include friendship, courage, compassion, present living, responsibility, perseverance, trust in Divine, humility, respect, patience, self discipline, and charity.
The antidotes to the categories of negative emotions function much the same as antidotes in medicine. A xe2x80x9cmedical antidotexe2x80x9d serves to remedy or counteract a poison. Similarly, the xe2x80x9cemotional antidotesxe2x80x9d are virtuous behaviors or reactions that, when utilized, serve to counteract the experience of negative emotions. The following is a brief summery of the essence of the xe2x80x9cemotional antidotesxe2x80x9d presented in this invention.
The antidote to the emotions in the category of lonely is friendship. The antidote of friendship is to consciously seek out, promote and develop reciprocal relationships that serve to meet one""s need to be supported by a community.
The antidote to the emotions in the category of guilt/shame is courage. Courage is a state or quality of mind or spirit that enable one to face danger or oppression with confidence with resolution and bravery. Courage means facing one""s fears and taking a stand in a conflict. Courage is acting bravely when one does not feel brave.
Courage is a developmental gift that comes from confronting one""s own most frightening xe2x80x9cdragonsxe2x80x9d. With courage comes freedom from the bondage of ones fears. The antidote of courage does not mean one will no longer fear, it means that one can learn to xe2x80x9cmake friends with fearxe2x80x9d by long acquaintance. Instead of being immobilized by fear, one can begin to see that fear can be an invitation to growth and a motivation for change.
The antidote to the emotions in the category of Loss/hurt feelings is compassion. To have compassion requires that one consciously try to see and/or understand a point of view other than one""s own. Compassion requires an understanding that everyone has their own individual path and a willingness to honor what people need to experience in order to grow. It does not matter whether a hurtful event was intentional or unintentional, it matters how one responds to the situation. Consciously choosing to respond to hurtful situations with compassion is a reflection of maturity. Much as a parent who sees a child lashing out as a child who needs love or guidance, having compassion for those who have hurt us fosters love, relationship, and understanding.
The antidote to the emotions in the category of blue/down is to live in the moment. Living in the moment happens when one has gained enough life experience to be able to view life as a continuum of happy and sad (good and bad) experiences. A statement that best describes this emotion is xe2x80x9ctaking the good with the badxe2x80x9d. Living in the moment is about being conscious of every moment, understanding that suffering is part of life, and savoring the moments that bring us joy.
The antidote to the emotions in the category of hopeless/helpless/victim is responsibility. The antidote of responsibility means to be answerable and accountable for oneself, one""s actions, and one""s life. One""s ability to take responsibility for oneself is a sign of maturity. Irresponsible behavior is equated with immature behavior. Becoming responsible for oneself leads to maturity and maturity is the path to full ownership of one""s power.
In other words, responsible persons are mature people who have the power to take charge of themselves and their conduct. Responsible persons own their actions, own up to their actions, and answer for their actions. One""s ability to be responsible comes through practice and experience.
As an individual identifies ways to deal with the cause of suffering, he/she learns that they do not have to be at the mercy of evil, illness, patriarchy, capitalism, and the like. Hence, the antidote of responsibility provides the experience of hope. When one is able to view himself or herself as having enough power to impact their experience, they have hope for something better. Hope keeps people alive in any number of abusive or dehumanizing situations. What keeps people from plunging into the depths of despair is knowing that if change is possible, there is hope for something better.
The antidote to the emotions in the category of dissatisfied/worthless is perseverance. The antidote of perseverance means to adhere to a course of action, belief, or purpose, without giving way. The task that one is persevering to achieve is to xe2x80x9cknow oneselfxe2x80x9d and make proper xe2x80x9cboundariesxe2x80x9d. It is essential to create proper boundaries so that we can see that difference between ourselves and others. Boundaries help us to know ourselves and what we want. Boundaries also help us to stop compromising to please others. With the creation of these boundaries, it becomes possible to both honor others and do what we need to do for ourselves. The antidote to the emotions in the category of dissatisfied/worthless is to discover and use one""s unique gifts, talents, and experiences. The skill of perseverance is necessary in achieving this goal.
The antidote to the emotions in the category of anxious/worried/stressed is to trust in Divine. The emotion that results form trusting in Divine (or trusting in God) can be elicited through statements such as; xe2x80x9cGod will not give me more than I can handlexe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cEverything for a reasonxe2x80x9d. Trust in Divine does not mean that one is not responsible for their lives. Trust in Divine means that we may not be able to see why something has happened, but God always has our best interest in mind.
The antidote to the emotions in the category of pride is humility. To have humility is to have an attitude or spirit of modesty and to show respect for others. Humility that reflects another person""s value and worth builds trusting relationships and altruism.
Humility is different from humiliation. Humiliation is an emotional state that arises from the experience of having been humiliated or shamed. Humility is a quality of personality in which a person is able to view oneself as being neither worth more than nor less than another person. Pride separates us from community while humility builds community and serves to fill one""s spiritual need for the support of a community.
The antidote to the emotions in the category of extreme desire/greed is respect. The antidote of respect means to speak to and treat others with the same respect and dignity that one desires for oneself. Respect is about fairness and justice. Interacting with respect reflects a high level of moral conduct and ethical standards, which ultimately leads to being respected by others.
The antidote to the emotion in the category of anger/frustration/lashing out is patience. The antidote of patience is required to learn to control ones anger. Patience does not imply that one should ignore provoking situations. Patience is the antidote for anger in that the skill of patience will enable a person to take the time to clearly think through how one can best respond in a manner that will serve to promote a peaceful and harmonious resolution.
The antidote to the emotions in the category of extreme need for pleasure/lust is self-discipline. A discipline is a training that is expected to produce a specific character pattern or behavior. Discipline can be a training that produces a moral or mental improvement. Discipline leads to control over behavior in a systematic method. Self-discipline is to make a xe2x80x9cdisciplinexe2x80x9d of oneself. One is one""s own teacher, trainer, coach, and xe2x80x9cdisciplinarianxe2x80x9d. Self-discipline brings self-control through a strong desire for self-control.
The Antidote to the emotions in the category of unwilling to accept responsibility/sloth is responsibility. The antidote of responsibility means to be answerable and accountable for oneself, one""s actions, and one""s life. The antidote of responsibility requires that a person be willing to view their life from the perspective that we each are ultimately responsible for creating everything that happens. This level of responsibility does not allow for blaming others. When something inadvertent happens one must ask oneself xe2x80x9cwhat is it about me that has contributed to this problem?xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cHow can I learn and grow from this experience?xe2x80x9d.
The antidote to the emotions in the category of complaining/gluttony is charity. The antidote of charity is learning to focus less on ourselves and more on others. Charity is more than being philanthropic, it is being caring, giving, and kind. Being charitable is characterized by an attitude of gratefulness, so much so that one desires to share of oneself, one""s wealth, or one""s learning for the betterment of others. Ultimately when one has gained the ability to be giving of themselves, they experience meaning in their own life.
The antidote to the emotions in the category of envy/jealously/resentment is trust in the Divine. The emotion that results from trusting in Divine (or trusting in God) can be elicited through statements such as; xe2x80x9cI have all that I needxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cEverything for a reasonxe2x80x9d. Trust in Divine does not mean that one is not responsible for their lives. Trust means that we may not be able to see why something has happened, but God always has our best interest in mind.
The systems and methods of this invention incorporate the idea of the listed moral concepts as antidotes to negative emotions. Because, body, mind, and spirit health is a dynamic state that requires personal responsibility to develop, learn, grow, mature, and evolve, using these moral concepts or antidotes, the antidotes outline skills for developing virtuous behavior that will fulfill the identified spiritual need(s).
It should be appreciated that the specific negative emotions, spiritual needs, and antidotes outlined herein are for basic explanation and understanding of the systems and methods for improving emotional awareness and self-mastery of this invention. Therefore, the specific negative emotions, spiritual needs, and antidotes outlined herein are not to be construed as limiting the systems or methods of this invention. Thus, in various exemplary embodiments, the systems or methods of this invention can be implemented using different or varied negative emotions, spiritual needs, and/or antidotes.
In various exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods of this invention, a mechanism is provided to assist an individual with the identification of negative emotions that were experienced in a given situation. Because negative emotions are rarely experienced one emotion at a time, the systems and methods of this invention allow a user to recognize feelings and emotions by isolating specific emotions and identifying whether those emotions were experienced during a given situation rather than requiring the user to xe2x80x9cpull upxe2x80x9d and identify what he/she was feeling. Thus, this invention requires an individual to focus on a particular event (a personal experience, life event, personal story, or the like) in which the individual felt one or more negative emotions. Then, the individual must answer an initial, delineating, question regarding the emotions experienced during that event.
The delineating question serves four purposes. First, the delineating question evokes an honest, introspective response from the individual. Second, the delineating question narrows the individual""s emotional responses to either the xe2x80x9cfightxe2x80x9d or the xe2x80x9cflightxe2x80x9d swing to assist in the identification of the emotions that were experienced. Third, the delineating question directs the flow of the methods of this invention to the appropriate antidote. Fourth, the delineating question weeds out individuals who are not adept enough at the introspective process to be able to utilize the methods of this invention.
In various exemplary embodiments, the delineating question is: xe2x80x9cWas the intention behind your emotions to either build yourself up or to tear someone else down?xe2x80x9d If, for example, the individual answers the delineating question affirmatively, the individual is asked whether at least one particular negative emotion, from the category of emotions experienced when an individual attempts to seek power (as part of a xe2x80x9cfightxe2x80x9d response) was experienced during the event. If, on the other hand, the individual answers the delineating question negatively, the individual is asked whether at least one particular negative emotion, from the category of emotions experienced when an individual attempts to xe2x80x9cvent offxe2x80x9d power (as part of a xe2x80x9cflightxe2x80x9d response), was experienced during the event.
When the individual has responded to the particular negative emotion(s) presented, the individual is asked the delineating question a second time. The delineating question is asked twice so that the individual has an opportunity to take a deeper, more complete look at the emotions experienced during the particular event. If the individual""s second answer to the delineating question is the same as the first answer, the method of this invention can analyze the user""s responses. However, if the second answer to the delineating question is different from the first answer, the individual is asked whether at least one particular negative emotion, from the category of emotions not previously explored, was experienced during the event.
For example, if the individual initially responds xe2x80x9cyesxe2x80x9d to the delineating question, the individual will identify the xe2x80x9cfightxe2x80x9d emotions in his/her particular response. Then, if the individual again responds xe2x80x9cyesxe2x80x9d to the delineating question, all of the negative emotions experienced during the event have been explored. In contrast, if the second response to the delineating question is xe2x80x9cnoxe2x80x9d, the individual will have an opportunity to identify any xe2x80x9cflightxe2x80x9d emotions that he/she may have experienced as well.
Through an analysis of the individual""s responses, the systems and methods of this invention allow the individual to clearly see all of the discrete emotions they experienced during the specific event. Thus, the xe2x80x9cfightxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cflightxe2x80x9d responses experienced by the individual, in response to the event, are separated such that the individual""s emotions, which are typically mixed together, can be separated, identified, and labeled.
By separating, identifying, and labeling the individual emotions experienced during the event, the systems and methods of this invention identify at least one negative emotion experienced during the event, correlate each identified negative emotion with an underlying spiritual need, and identify at least one antidote to the spiritual need(s) that have been identified. The antidote(s) are then relayed to the individual in the form of at least one virtuous behavior that will fulfill the identified spiritual need(s).
In this manner, negative emotions, as need driven behavior, are viewed as the symptom(s) that identify a deficient or unmet spiritual need. The systems and methods of this invention help to identify a person""s deficient spiritual need(s) according to the negative emotion(s) present in a given situation.
The systems and methods of this invention do not change the emotions of the user, but provide the user with the information required to specifically address the emotions they are feeling and provide knowledge of specific virtuous behavior(s), which, if practiced, will effectively change unhealthy emotional habits and eliminate the experience of selected negative emotion(s).
Thus, the systems and methods of this invention provide an introspective tool that will guide a person to the information necessary to make a healthy change.
This invention separately provides a personal tool that allows a person to take responsibility for his/her emotions and integrate antidotes into his/her life in order to gain a healthier state.
This invention separately provides systems and methods that provide a user with a heightened sense of an internal locus of power. Unlike conventional healing, which is often interpreted as healing from an external locus of power in which a physician, a treatment, or a medicine is the source of healing, an internal locus of power focuses on the belief that the body contains the homeostatic mechanism for self-healing, and a healer or a medicine serves merely to activate the body""s own healing process.
In various exemplary embodiments, the systems and methods of this invention foster improved physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health by providing an xe2x80x9celectronic mentorxe2x80x9d to assist an individual in their cognitive processing of negative emotions. In these various exemplary embodiments, a software program is installed on, for example a computer, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or a network.
Alternatively, the systems and methods of this invention can be used by a healthcare service provider or an individual as part of a xe2x80x9cself-helpxe2x80x9d program to assist an individual in the cognitive processing of negative emotions.
This invention separately provides systems and methods that combine the mind, body, and spirit principles of a holistic model with the predictability and reproducibility of the allopathic model in an improved xe2x80x9cwholisticxe2x80x9d approach to health and healing.
This invention separately provides a tool to educate individuals as to the unmet needs that must be addressed in order to improve individual levels of physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health.
This invention separately provides systems and methods that address the psychological, social, and environmental aspects of illness.
This invention separately provides systems and methods that identify virtuous behaviors that serve as antidotes for negative emotions.
This invention separately provides systems and methods that help individuals acquire the skills necessary to manage their emotions.
This invention separately provides a tool that addresses emotional habits in one""s personality, then offers the appropriate antidote (virtue) that will lead to the elimination of the unhealthy emotional habit and to a healthier mind, body, spirit state.
This invention separately provides systems and methods that are designed to complement allopathic medical treatments as healthcare moves towards an integration of allopathic and wholistic healthcare.
This invention separately provides systems and methods that allow individuals to actively participate in personal health promotion.
These and other features and advantages of this invention are described in or are apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments.